One Way To Keep Your Kids Academically Challenged This Summer

Attorney specializing in First Amendment and Media Law and a former captain in the U.S. Marines

A set of concerned parents-turned-entrepreneurs decided to get in the rink with other educators worldwide who have been fighting to improve academic performance. Their entry into the rink came by way of the technology based educational program, TurtleDiary.com.

It was a feeling of being unsatisfied by the quality of educational resources available online for children, and a desire to take action rather than sit on the sidelines, that led Neetu Saini and Permender Singh to put in the hours and launch TurtleDiary.

Many parents can relate to the hours of sifting through numerous websites, like Singh and Saini encountered, in hopes of finding the learning program best suitable for their children. And the ability to supplement formal schooling with an at-home alternative on par, as many parents understand, can easily turn into a daunting task—but for Saini it was necessary.

As parents of school-aged boys, 10 and 7, Singh and Saini decided four years ago they would build what they were searching for. And in 2012 — they did. “Before my older son started going to school, I would look for resources online to teach him things at home but I could not find too many. It took us around two years to create the product little by little,” Saini says.

(Credit: TurtleDiary)

TurtleDiary offers a full complement of free educational content for early learners that includes more than 1,000 individual learning activities and over 200 lesson plans.

The educational website, targeted at children pre-kindergarten to fourth grade, is fairly new in existence but it’s making a huge impact in the education arena both nationally and abroad. The site is currently being viewed in more than 200 countries and has been adopted by about 20,000 public and private schools in the U.S. Its key distinction is the comprehensive approach to learning, according to Saini.

The site focuses on all subjects rather than narrowing its content to just math or reading. Children can also navigate the site with little or no assistance. And it’s free. “We understand the resource crunch in the schools, specifically in the public school system. Our vision is to create a program so schools and parents who do not have sufficient funds can make use of the tools required for a well-rounded education,” Saini says. Although the site has not received any accreditation, according to Saini, parents have been using the site for homeschooling.

Of the husband and wife team, both originally from India and now living in Miami, Singh brings his background in technology to keep the site fresh and modern. He has used his more than 15 years experience in technology and creating enterprise products to develop the platform. Singh also worked with education experts and child psychology experts to tailor the content. Singh says he currently has contracts in place with certified teachers who generate and review all the content. He also has contracted a local recording studio to handle all the voice-overs for the animated portion of the videos. So while his dive into entrepreneurship via the education portal was new, his collaboration with seasoned educators helped put the pieces together. After an initial investment of just $100,000, Saini says the site eventually took off and has begun making a name for itself.

The site now has more than six million page views per month and approximately 150,000 users navigating the website and taking advantage of the topics ranging from math, science, language, social studies, creativity and logic. The age-specific online learning tools include skill building and puzzle games, animated lesson plans, printable worksheets, interactive storybooks, and arts and crafts activities.

(Credit: TurtleDiary)

The site’s current source of revenue is primarily advertising, which Singh says is all kid-friendly. The site also has a premium membership for parents available at $9.95 per month and for schools at $19.95 per month. The premium upgrade allows users to receive content ad free.

With the influx of parents and educators continually looking to find ways to engage children academically and keep pace with educational counterparts globally, TurtleDiary is hoping its version of learning will help fill the void.

Saini says the content on the site is geared toward helping both children who have a difficult time grasping a particular skill and those who need additional academic stimulation. The site offers different categories of learning that challenge kids by getting increasingly harder at each level of play. Saini says they plan to add a program specifically for the gifted child in the future.

Recently the site celebrated its second year anniversary by adding curriculum specific to fourth graders. The new series has animated math games and focuses on topics such as symmetry, time, decimals, polygons and parts of a circle.

“We have a lot of good things coming this year… we will be launching our fifth grade learning segment.” Saini also says they plan on collaborating with story writers and will add a feature to the site that includes an online book club.

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